(Review by Russell)
An early start was required on Sunday
for the festival goer determined to hear something of everything. A jazz
brunch, a street jazz performance, a church 'service' and a big band blow out
to end it all. The weather forecast suggested things would be marginally better
and, by and large, that would prove to be the case.
A late morning train to Darlington
meant your reviewer missed - only just! - the first set of the day. Emma Fisk
and Dave Harris had been and gone a matter of minutes earlier, their duo set
at Hash Bar on Conisclffe Road the first serving of an all
things Django and Stéphane Gypsy Jazz Brunch.
Following hot on their
heels were Gordon Dyke (violin) and Shaun Henderson
(guitar). The duo's short set encompassed more than the standard jazz
repertoire with numbers such as Stevie Wonder's Sir Duke (a
Ducal reference, of course) and, you'd never guess...the theme tune to the
children's television programme Vision On.
From Hash Bar it was a short walk to
St Cuthbert's Church. On the way, the Northern Monkey Brass Band boys were
spotted setting-up for their second street performance of the weekend. As the
'congregation' filed into the impressive St Cuthbert's Church the
first half of a double bill - Triptych - completed a sound
check ahead of a two thirty start. The trio, comprised of Paul Edis
(piano, keyboards, clarinet), Paul Susans (bass guitar) and Rob
Walker (drums, keyboards), had recently been in the studio over two days to
record material for an album and two pieces from the Blank Studios' sessions
were heard in the grand setting of St Cuthbert's.
Pews were well populated for the
second half of this Sunday afternoon service. Aga Serugo-Lugo
(community choir leader, piano, vocals) arrived in Darlington amidst
much hype. Much talk of the man being an inspirational workshop leader, would
Serugo-Lugo live up to his reputation? On this evidence most definitely. A
one-off meeting earlier in the day between the man and a disparate group of
enthusiastic singers prepared all involved for this public performance.
Serugo-Lugo's palpable energy and enthusiasm transmitted to the soulful choir
as individual members stepped forward to holler and scat on numbers such as the
spiritual Wade in the Water and Aloe Blacc's I Need a
Dollar.
Russell.
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